Hawai'i briefs

Advertiser Staff

WINDWARD O'AHU

Missing woman swims to shore

A woman who had been the subject of a search by the Coast Guard for most of yesterday swam into Lanikai last night at about 9:30.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Brooksann Anderson said the woman was safe and sound, but no other details about her ordeal were available last night.

The woman had called 911 at about noon and said she had fallen off her raft, but the cell phone call abruptly lost its signal, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Justin Acosta.

A Coast Guard helicopter searched for the woman along with rescue workers from the Fire Department and the Ocean Safety Division, Acosta said.

The Fire Department called off its search at about 3 p.m., said Fire Capt. Kenison Tejada.

Three on catamaran are rescued

Three people were rescued after their catamaran ride took a turn for the worse over the weekend.

Two men and a woman were aboard the 25-foot catamaran when it lost engine power Saturday morning near Makapu'u Point, authorities said. The trio dropped anchor, but the anchor broke.

A Coast Guard boat kept the catamaran away from the rocks until Fire Department rescue crews arrived, officials said.

The Coast Guard said the catamaran had partially sunk and could not be towed.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Smoking ban may be eased

HILO, Hawai'i — The County Council is expected to further loosen a smoking ban proposal that had been the most restrictive in the state.

An eighth draft of the ordinance is scheduled for its final reading Wednesday, when the council is likely to exempt nightclubs along with some bars from the regulations.

After more than eight hours of discussion on July 2, the council proposed allowing smoking in bars that generate less than 25 percent of total sales from food.

Mayor Harry Kim had also objected to a rule that would have kept smokers at least 15 feet from buildings where smoking is banned, saying it would be hard to enforce. The council repealed the buffer zone, altogether.

Body found in car identified

HILO, Hawai'i — Police have identified the man whose decomposed body was found Tuesday inside a parked car in a Wainaku orchard.

Narding Vidad, 50, of Hilo, was identified through fingerprints during an autopsy Friday at the Hilo Medical Center, police said.

A cause of death has not been determined, but police said they have no reason to suspect foul play. Determining the cause of death may depend on the results of toxicological tests, which are expected in three or four weeks.

Vidad was reported missing by his daughter July 14 and was last seen July 11 in Hilo.